The New Age of Hunting

The New Age of Hunting

Society today is ever-evolving, and along with it the face of the American hunter. While not a complaint, it is in fact a sigh of relief that ushers in the dawn of a new era of American sportsmen. This article tackles the current issues that face society and the modern hunter.

Hunting, it seems, has taken on a perception of being engaged in only by those savages who have yet to embrace the cold glow of mega-mart fluorescent lighting, freezer pack steaks, and guilt free dining.

Over time, hunting has become an activity conducted by society’s outliers, particularly in urban areas where one is never more than a short drive from a variety of grocery stores and restaurants that cater to our every nutrition need 24 hours a day. Hunting, it seems, has taken on a perception of being engaged in only by those savages who have yet to embrace the cold glow of mega-mart fluorescent lighting, freezer pack steaks, and guilt free dining.

Gone are the days of subsistence hunters, our ancestral hunter-gatherers from which we ourselves have come. Outside of the extreme wilderness of Alaska and other remote areas of the country, families by and large no longer need to supplement grocery store meat with wild game. The topography of America’s outdoors is changing, and along with it those that are called to embrace the wild and share in its bounty.

Today, there are more varieties of plastic-wrapped, processed, pre-packaged cuts of meat available in the grocery store than ever before. At the local butcher, one can find the staples of beef, chicken, pork, turkey, and the once ‘exotic’ lamb alongside bison, venison, ostrich, alligator, and even kangaroo steaks. Unfortunately, even as we as consumers are returning to our primal roots, seeking out meat in all of its vast array of forms and flavors, we seem to have lost touch with where exactly those perfectly wrapped steaks come from. Like it or not, an animal that was once a living, breathing creature has been killed so that we can nourish ourselves with its flesh. It’s nature at its most basic. Animals die, animals kill, animals eat other animals, and we ourselves are animals.

Some like to remove themselves from the first half of that equation, seemingly convincing themselves that those plastic wrapped Styrofoam trays of rib-eyes at the grocery store materialized into being, just for us to throw on the grill. The, some would say, harsh reality of that is every person that buys, cooks, and eats meat is complicit in killing another animal.

However, that shouldn’t be misconstrued into a negative statement. The fact of the matter is that animals die, and meat is tasty and nutritious. At face value, eating meat is nothing more than the circle of life being completed, and we shouldn’t feel bad about that.

To turn a blind eye to the mass slaughter of domestic livestock to fill our freezers is perhaps more barbaric and more out of touch with reality than taking responsibility for where our meat comes from.

Hunting and eating wild game is a necessary part of this world’s existence. Humans are predators, and without hunting, there would exist an imbalance in nature as our own growth as a species has impacted the landscape more than we are often willing to admit.

Hunting has become a necessity in the American style of game management. Wildlife belongs to the people, and we are given the task of being their caretakers. Thanks to the Pittman-Roberston Act and other legislation, excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and sporting goods, over two billion dollars generated from the programs have gone to habitat and animal conservation efforts every year, and that number only grows as Americans become more involved in the outdoors.

Millions of dollars a year are spent on hunting licenses, tags, and other fees associated with hunting that helps to fund state fish and wildlife agencies, which protect species across the country. Without hunters, populations of species could be in serious jeopardy. Some population already are facing widespread disease such as the whitetail deer and its battle with chronic wasting disease, which impacts elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer and moose across the country. Thanks to hunters submitting animals they have harvested for testing, and CWD specific seasons in order to help cull infected populations, there have been significant improvements over the past few years in revitalizing herds.

Those opposed to hunting aren’t entirely to blame. America’s perception of hunters is largely attributed to the media’s portrayal by those engaged in the sport, and that’s not a reference to liberal talk shows and news programs. The majority of hunting television programs on the air waves do in fact portray hunters in a less than flattering light. If while flipping through the channel listings one happened to stop on a hunting show with a country-rock intro with lyrics personifying the host as a bloodthirsty killer, with graphics of animals being killed in a fountain of blood, the viewer would have every reason to assume that the host was exactly what they appeared to be.

It’s not hard to understand where popular opinions about hunters and hunting comes from.

Hunting programs focused on the kill, shooting trophy buck after trophy buck, and forgetting that for many, the true reason for hunting is to put food on the table and not antlers on the wall only serves to perpetuate the stereotype that exists at present. It’s not hard to understand where popular opinions about hunters and hunting comes from.

That’s not to discredit those who enjoy hunting, even if it is for trophy game. Many hunters who for whatever reason don’t eat their quarry, donate that meat to food shelters and charity organizations, which helps to feed those less fortunate.

Fortunately, thanks to the resurgence in farm to table, nose to tail, whole hog, offal centric dishes, and other movements in the culinary world, Americans seem to be taking a turn towards becoming more in tune with where their dinner comes from, and with that embracing the hunting culture.

At the forefront of the revitalization of the American hunter, appears to be a segment of the population that rarely before showed interest in the culture and tradition. Young, college educated, professionals in their 20s and 30s could represent the turning point of the American hunting tradition. Those in that demographic are the fueling force behind the aforementioned culinary movement, and are poised to carry that influence towards hunting as well.

Despite being raised in urban and suburban America, these young people are also showing a growing interest in not only food, but the Second Amendment as well. With a surge in firearms ownership, many individuals in this category are putting two and two together, and developing an interest in the outdoors and hunting.

It’s with great regret that the current stock of hunters that are tasked with the responsibility of maintaining America’s natural resources are a dying breed. Just as the circle of life exists between animals and eaters, American hunters in their current state will one day be required to pass the torch on to the next generation, by and large leaving future hunters with a better landscape than what they themselves inherited. It’s up to current hunters to bestow upon the next batch of caretakers with the knowledge to leave future generations with increasingly more cared for resources.

With the responsibility of passing on the skills and knowledge to the next generation, comes a need to be understanding of what that generation represents. Just as society itself is ever evolving, America’s next stock of hunters are an evolution, built on past generations. While their tastes in music may not be the same, they may drive hybrids instead of lifted diesel pickups, and they may favor an AR-15 pattern rifle over a wood stocked bolt action, they are the future of hunting and to not embrace the change is to drive yet another nail into the coffin of a culture and tradition that is uniquely American.

At the forefront of this journey is most importantly the acceptance of new hunters, but almost as equally important is the need to pass the knowledge and skills on that are necessary to ensure that new hunters are adequately equipped to embark on their journey as caretakers of American wildlife.

With fewer hunters in today’s society, it’s becoming less and less common for individuals to know hunters personally, making venturing into the sport a difficult task. Unless one has family or friends that hunt, it’s a daunting endeavor to find a mentor that can help guide those new to hunting.

Unfortunately, there also exists an air of elitism and close mindedness it seems when it comes to the novice seeking guidance.

How discouraging must it be to seek out experienced hunters through online forums or other websites, and even in person, asking for education and experience in a sport that is unmatched in regulations, equipment requirements, and accessibility issues only to be looked down upon as an outsider looking to steal someone’s duck honey hole or perfect deer stand location.

The hurdles to becoming a hunter are already great enough as it is without shunning newcomers who are typically young and able bodied to help carry gear, have expendable income to help pay for fuel, and most importantly have the desire to learn about the outdoors from those that are able to provide the best guidance.

Chris

Professional investigator, amateur adventurer; eager to learn and experience all that the outdoors have to offer.